This blog is dedicated to sharing the concept that our hands are essential to learning- that we engage the world and its wonders, sensing and creating primarily through the agency of our hands. We abandon our children to education in boredom and intellectual escapism by failing to engage their hands in learning and making.

Saturday, October 10, 2015

connectedness

As a part of making boxes to fill orders and supply the small
galleries that sell my work, I make inlay just as I've taught so many to
do through books and classes. I've refined my technique recently by
being less diligent in my application of glue. I've stopped spreading it
and simply apply it with a squeeze bottle and push the parts together
in a line. It has cut my assembly time in half. And so, by doing things
again and again, and looking at what we do with fresh eyes, the wheels
of progress turn. The two photos here show steps in the process,
starting with rough wood, and blending species into patterns.

These
days, connectedness might be mistakenly thought to describe the young woman or man
with eyes glued to the small screen of a cellular device while the
natural world around them swirls unseen. Please believe me when I tell you that's not at all what Froebel had in mind. To have all the information in the world at your fingertips and to do nothing meaningful with it, is a waste.

I know that I write too much for most readers but things come up that may bear repetition. The OECD tested students in various nations to determine the value of digital technology on their students' learning. So far, the rush to digital learning has not born fruit. Their conclusion? Computers "do not improve' pupil results.

About Me

I have been a self-employed woodworker in Eureka Springs, Arkansas since 1976. I live with my wife Jean on a wooded hillside overlooking our beautiful historic community.
In addition to work in my wood shop, I teach children at the Clear Spring School in a program called "The Wisdom of the Hands." My 10th and 11th books, Tiny Boxes by Taunton Press and Making Classic Toys that Teach were published in November 2016. My most recent book is The Box Maker's Guitar Book published in 2017. I also write for Fine Woodworking, Woodcraft and other woodworking magazines.
My resume can be downloaded at
www.dougstowe.com/resume.doc